"The whole point of collecting is the thrill of acquisition, which must be maximized, and maintained at all costs."
― John Baxter
This 1/35th scale Tyrannosaurus Rex figure by Nanmu is the best I've come across ― it looks fantastic on my fireplace mantle. The base was included, too. My dinosaur figure collection includes almost all the Papo ones and a good share of the offerings by Schleich. I'm so impressed with this T-Rex that I might also go with Nanmu's Triceratops, but they're comparatively pricey. The T-Rex was $125.00 and the Triceratops is a little less, but wow are they ever cool.
Gnarly, eh?
I don't even remember how I stumbled across this Japanese Tiger Beetle by Kaiyodo Animatales. I'm pretty sure these are discontinued, but I found an eBay seller who had 5 of them. I believe the species it's modeled after is Cicindela chinensis japonica, but I'm not positive. Anyway, it's a nifty little figure that I keep on my MacBook. It might make decent prop to practice tiger beetle photography, not that I need it!
This Solar System Gemstone stet was given to me as a Christmas present. Though the planet to planet scale is way off, it's still a neat little piece to have on display. Now if only Saturn had rings. Perhaps I can fashion something out of wood or plastic. I'm not sure who makes this one, but you can find many like it online.
I mean is this thing cool or what? I don't know why I waited so long to get one of these. Fender's Mustang Micro is a powerful, feature-rich, and incredibly sounding personal practice amp. It can emulate 12 different amplifiers and has a dozen editable effects channels. Slap on a set of headphones and you can take your electric guitar anywhere to play/practice. The Mustang Micro also has Bluetooth and USB, so connecting it to a computer with recording software is a snap.
After destroying yet another pair of cheap Yaktrax Walk Cleats last weekend, it dawned on me there's probably a better solution. I should know by now that you get what you pay for and $19.99 is nearly disposable when it comes to these things. To replace them I went with a set of crampons by ... shit, I don't know who made them. Anyway, they seem far less likely to break or get lost. At the same time I upgraded to the Yaktrax Diamond Grip All-Surface Cleats. They're only marginally more expensive and the quality seems way better. If you're in the market for something to keep you from falling on your ass or splitting your skull open on ice or rocks, skip the cheap ones. Sadly, a friend of a friend slipped on ice last year and isn't expected to recover ― permanent brain damage.
Another cool Christmas Gift is this nifty Ultrasonic Diffusor by Gooamp. I'm sure it'll help my Man Cave ® smell more like the great outdoors rather than armpit taint. Kidding! I'm a pretty clean guy for the most part. Anyway, I just set this up today using Sax-Zim Bog fragrance, so we'll see. I also am a fan of Parks Project candles for giving my apartment more of a rustic aroma.
I did go birding yesterday and added Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Ring-necked Pheasant, Red-winged Blackbird, and Cooper's Hawk to my annual list.
I did go birding yesterday and added Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, Ring-necked Pheasant, Red-winged Blackbird, and Cooper's Hawk to my annual list.
All images © 2022 Mike McDowell